Sugoi Isekai no Sekai

  The cedars' smell, dry and pleasant, like pencil shavings, filled the air. As the barefoot boy moved briskly through the woods, Inês did her best to keep up with him. His pace was such that he did not leave any footprints in his wake. The young girl was not so agile: her feet got caught on more than one root along the way. Japanese Cedar trees weren't the only ones populating the dense forest; hardy red pines also stood tall and skeletal maple trees swayed hauntingly among the dark green islands in a sea of milk.

Soon, the boy stopped and looked back, a smile on his face.

“We're almost there.” he said.

Once she caught up with him, Inês realized he was waiting at the foot of a formidable flight of stairs, right at the top of which stood a majestic torī gate. Her breath escaped her. Despite the many questions swirling in her head, she couldn't help but let herself be taken by the arresting beauty of this sight.

The boy looked at the gate, then back at her.

“You really love Japan, don't you?”

Inês pondered the question. She had always wanted to see Japan, but this was her first time actually being there – if this wasn't all a dream, that was! As such, she didn't know if she could truly say she loved it. However, as she stood in front of the hundreds of steps before her, crowned with the traditional red construction she'd imagined herself visiting so many times, she couldn't help but answer: “Yes, I love it very much!”

The boy grinned from ear to ear; an expression that didn't quite reach his eyes. A gust of wind moved through the trees and passed the two of them. Inês shivered as the boy's attire made a sound like an old book's pages turning.

“He made the right choice.” he simply said.

And before she could interject, he started going up. The climb wasn't a walk in the park, but it wasn't a walk in the woods either; all in all, she rather preferred it to a trek through the forest. The tall steps, carved in stone, had a regularity to them that was easier to grasp. The weather got more frigid as they went up, but the exercise kept her warm. Shortly, the duo arrived at the top.

“Your friends are already here.” the boy stated.

Without another word, he took a bow and left the same way they had just arrived. She wanted to ask what friends he was referring to, but Inês felt like any question would be met with silence. Resigned, she proceeded toward the shrine, a tall building wrapped in snow. Through the glistening white patches, you could catch bright red accents here and there, and the roof had switched its traditional dark hue for a thick white cover.

Once she got to the stairs, a handful of wooden steps, Inês took a beat. She couldn't hear anything inside. She went up calmly, wondering what she'd find behind the rice paper door. When she got to it, she stopped herself. She took a deep breath.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“Excuse you indeed. We've been waiting on you for ever.”

She turned around. At the bottom of the small stairway, leaning against a stone lantern, stood a boy. He was taller than her and had short, jet black hair. His eyes were brown and almond-shaped. His skin had a faint, golden tint, and he was dressed in oversize clothes.

“Let's hope you're worth it.” he added as he made his way to the deck.

His expression was unreadable, but he extended his hand for Inês to shake. He had gleaming, dark nail polish.

“The name's Jin.”

“Inês.”

As Jin went to open the door, an uproar came suddenly crashing from around the back. A small, tan girl, wearing a flowery orange dress was charging right at them.

“Look at these!” she screamed.

She was holding a plate of rice cakes. The Kagami mochi, white and two-tiered, trembled precariously as she ran with them in hand.

“They were getting soggy out in the snow.” she lamented.

She stopped when she noticed Inês; her bright green eyes scanning the new arrival. Inês could sense a million thoughts bumping around in the small girl's mind. Whichever one she landed on must've been a good one, because she soon smiled. This smile had nothing in common with the little boy's rictus from earlier; Inês felt instantly at ease.

“Oh, it's you. They said you'd get here soon. Do you want one?” she asked, holding out the plate.

Before Inês could make a move, a third voice came from inside the shrine.

“Don't eat that.” the voice said sternly. “Those are offerings; they're not for us.”

Jin slid the rice paper door open; it hummed softly. The shrine was vast and mostly empty. Everything, from the walls to the floor was made of wood, giving the room an austere, orderly atmosphere. There was no light but what little came naturally from outside, making it hard to tell dog from wolf. At the center of the room, on a small pedestal, rested a mirror, polished to a glow. This was nothing like any church Inês had ever set foot in. In fact, she didn't want to enter; it felt like she shouldn't. But, already inside, kneeling in front of the dais at a low table, there was another boy. This one was taller than Jin and willowy in build. He was dressed in what seemed like a school uniform and had pale skin and meticulously combed brown hair. When he turned around, Inês saw he had nebulous grey eyes.

“You made it.” he said simply. “That's good.”

He got up and walked toward the door. He took the plate of rice cakes from the girl who was now looking miffed, and went to place it on the table he was just kneeling at a moment ago. Then, without a word, he doubled back, put on his shoes and closed the door behind him.

“My name's Marcel, and you've already met Jin and Lucía.”

Inês shook his hand. Lucía kissed her on the cheek. There was an uncomfortable lull while everyone sized each other up.

“So... am I the only one who got hit by a truck, or…?” Inês asked.

Lucía stretched her back and sighed.

“Nope!” she answered. “I was out and about, going to a dance rehearsal and wham, bam, thank you ma'am! I never saw it coming.”

“Same thing here.” said Jin. “I was meeting up with some friends when I got hit out of nowhere. I had just checked the road, too.”

“Me four.” added Marcel. “I was coming home from school and got ran over. I was on the ground for what felt like a minute, then I heard a distorted song. A song I know, but…”

“Don't remember?” asked Inês.

Marcel looked at her, a very serious look in his eye.

“How'd you know?”

“The same thing happened to me.” she answered. She turned to Jin and Lucía. “And you?”

They looked at each other and back at Inês, then nodded in approval.

“That's weird.” Inês muttered. Her stomach had started to twist.

“It's not the only thing that's weird!” said Jin. “Do you speak Korean?”

“No.”

“I'm speaking Korean.” he said. “I hear all of you speaking Korean, too.”

Everyone stood silent.

“You're all speaking French to me.” answered Marcel when Inês looked at him quizzically.

“And Spanish, to me.” said Lucía. “What about you?”

“I've been speaking Portuguese this all time. Like all of you… I thought.”

She needed to sit. She stepped down and sat on the deck. The snow was still falling, slow and mechanical. What kind of world was this? Inês was about to ask the question aloud when a bright blue light, like an orb of sapphire concentrate, appeared between the two stone lanterns. The four teenagers fixed their gaze on it, wondering what else this place could muster up that would shatter their understanding of nature.